by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Parts of the Plains and Midwest face a likely blizzard Thursday with heavy snow and howling winds forecast. That's bad news for holiday travelers, but the forecast promises much-needed precipitation for the drought-plagued region.

Some spots in Iowa and Wisconsin could see a foot and a half of snow by the time the storm winds down Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Expect delays at airports in the path of the storm and ripple-effect delays in other parts of the nation, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. The storm will have a direct impact on Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis, he said.

Most of the nation's big airlines responded to the storm's threat by Wednesday afternoon, enacting flexible rebooking policies for fliers scheduled to fly into the storm's path.

Chicago's O'Hare is a major hub for both American and United, while Midway is one of the top bases for Southwest. If forecasts hold, both airports are at risk of significant delays developing today and lasting into Friday.

"The heaviest amounts of snow will be across Iowa and into southern Wisconsin," according to a weather service report. "Strong, gusty winds accompanying the storm will bring blizzard conditions, making travel in the area hazardous."

Blizzard warnings were in place late Wednesday in a solid stretch from near Denver to near Milwaukee, a distance of more than 900 miles. About 5 million people were in areas under a blizzard warning.

Snow created a few problems in Denver on Wednesday, with hour-long flight delays reported at the airport.

Heavy snow and whiteout conditions also closed interstates and caused driving problems in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas on Wednesday.

South of the snowstorm, blowing dust led to near-zero visibilities in West Texas, which caused a major car wreck that killed one person.

The weather service is even forecasting "thundersnow" in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas today, where snow could fall at the rate of 2-3 inches an hour.

In the South, AccuWeather is forecasting severe weather Thursday.

States where the threat is the highest include Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the Storm Prediction Center reported.

"The greatest risk from the storms appears to be damaging wind gusts and flash and urban flooding," AccuWeather meteorologist Eddie Walker said. "However, there is a slight possibility that a few storms can be intense enough to produce a tornado."

Although the Plains and Midwest could do without the travel headaches, precipitation should be welcome.

More than 93% of the high Plains region and 54% of the Midwest are enduring drought conditions, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks drought.